AD wiring
 

First off id like to thank you guys for all the help so far. This forum has been extremely helpful. As a few of you know I just got my drivetrain in, it's coming along pretty good. Front suspension, rear suspension, cab has a floor again, and now the drivetrain.

Time to start looking at the smaller stuff. I think I have brakes all planned and should go fairly smoothly. My fuel tank and system should also go pretty smoothly. But dont be surprised if i ask a little advice.

My truck is outside and so some of the little projects have found their way inside. Like the gauges. Well I took my wiring out of the donor 84 c10. I'd like to maybe use it. Any thoughts here? I started cleaning it up and separating it out. Wall in small workroom looks kinda funky now.

How many circuits am I really looking at on this truck? Only thing I'm really adding is gonna be the a/c. You guys think it's worth it to use the donor wiring harness? Or should i just buy a small kit. But then i need to add connectors and so on. But if i keep this one i probably need to shorten some of it and get rid of a lot.

I also know you get what you pay for, but wire is wire and a plastic fuse box is just plastic right? What's wrong with a 50 dollar kit off the ebay? Are there differences I should avoid? What's the painless wiring got that makes it so much? Instructions?

So I need a diagram, for a basic setup for a AD 3100. No power windows or locks... carburetor on the engine...

What's everyone's advice? Use new or old? New I add connectors.. old I take out extra wire and maybe shorten wire.

What have you guys done?

Re: AD wiring
 

Here's some pics of what I'm working with so far on the old harness. Here's the funky wall in workroom lol

Re: AD wiring
 

I've done the donor wiring thing and my truck is wired that way now. Doing the math that 84 C-10 would be 33 years old now. If that truck was still on the road they might be having wiring issue with it because of the age of the wiring.

I'd invest in a decent wiring kit for the truck and even though it might be a bit tight on the budget now you will thank yourself times over later on.

Re: AD wiring
 

What would you consider as decent? I'm not aware of any wiring issues. I drove the truck for 6 years, and I had the new motor and trans put in too. I am a little worried about the age of the wire though. I'm not sure how to tell if it's bad or good. Once I cleaned off the tape and plastic, the insulation looks great. But i am a little paranoid... I've done wire repairs but never a dull harness. I can buy any and all connectors right?

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Fuseible links. Where to use them if I buy a new harness? These would need to be added right?

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Looks like you did all the hard work. Might as well take advantage of it. I'd remove or replace any wiring with hardened/cracked/damaged insulation.

I was too lazy to remove any wiring and just bought a generic harness.

Re: AD wiring
 

Hey Matt read thru the info in this link http://www.how-to-build-hotrods.com/hot-rod-wiring.html (copy and paste if needed)
There is some advice how how and where to use fuseable links.
I agree with the advice on buying a new harness, Speedway carries some low cost solutions. These are made with the correct type of wire and labeled well enough to help you out.

Chuck

Re: AD wiring
 

Just ordered a wiring kit form Amazon $142.00 for my 58, will let you know how it looks

Re: AD wiring
 

On thing I have seen with guys posting about wiring harness kits on this board, the HAMB and others is the quality of tech support that you get from the company after you buy the harness. Painless and Rebel Wire seem to have pretty good and consistent tech support as does Ron Francis. Ron Francis is one of the oldest wiring kit outfits out there but they are also the most expensive in most cases.
I looked on Amazon and found a couple of options for the price that Hogfarm quoted. both look interesting but I am more inclined to go with the GM color coded unit. It's a whole lot easier to wire with the GM color codes and who ever follows behind you if you sell the truck in a few years will be most appreciative in that they can easily figure out the wiring by the color coding.

One thing that is very important is to make sure that the kit includes enough wire and all the wires you need. That means long enough wires to reach the head and tail lights without splicing in wires. I've got an Ebay bargain price wiring harness out in the shed that was cheap and isn't bad for what is there but has no wire for the lights front or back and no wires for the accessories. It is a basic hook it up and get it running wire kit more intended for off road Jeeps or basic hot rods. It will end up in a very basic roadster so it isn't a big deal other than I was real disappointed when I received the kit and there was no wire for the head or tail lights.

If you do use that donor harness you will find that you are going to be eliminating a lot of the wires such as the ones for the high beam bulbs in the quad lights plus you will be cutting and splicing a lot to get the correct lengths rather than just installing wires. Then you have to deal with what ever someone did to the harness in the past if they bypassed a circuit because it had shorted or hooked up who knows how many different trailer wire hookups over the years. My 77 1 ton is the biggest wiring mess that I have ever owned because everyone that owned it over the years made some change to it plus there are original circuits that don't work and are bypassed. I've got to completely rewire the tail, stop and turn lights plus the clearance lights on the bed and am not looking forward to it.

Re: AD wiring
 

I see your point mr48chev. It's got age and I would not have a tech line to call for assistance. I'm reading up on wiring a car. It's been awhile since I had and kind of class on it. I'm ok with troubleshooting and making proper fixes, and adding in the small accessory or two. I've just never wired the whole vehicle. So far I'm leaning towards a new harness, but I think I will continue to play with this old one. See how it's put together and all and then draw up my own diagrams. I'd like to use a harness with instructions, but I'd also like to fully understand what I'm doing. I also have a lot of free time lol

Couple questions so far.

Are fusible links still widely used? Seems to me I could just use maxi fuses inline to protect spike areas. I didn't see fusible links in the painless diagrams. That and use relays. For example, seems like it might be worth adding a starter solenoid on firewall to shorten the cable with a lot of juice in it. Also, if I'm going to need new stuff anyway, I'm thinking I'll use LED lights throughout. Less electricity needed and they don't get as hot.

Thoughts so far?

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Got my wiring harness yesterday,it's not bad,all the wires are labeled

Re: AD wiring
 

Did it come with long wires for the lights?

Re: AD wiring
 

Wires seem to be plenty long,for both front and rear

Re: AD wiring
 

Did you like the harness you bought? What brand? I'm hoping I'll have a little money left over after Christmas and maybe I can start the wiring soon. I think I may have my steering linkage figured out... so on to a new section.

Big question I got. How many circuits do I need? I mean I see 8,10,12,14,21 circuit kits...extra just means stuff I gotta throw out and waste money on.

Headlights count as two? Brakes, turn signals... that one or two? Some light is one, heater, radio, ac, distributor... I have an electric choke.. that count?, mechanical fuel pump...umm does each gauge count as one?

Re: AD wiring
 

I've wired a bunch of vehicles.

Painless is the luxury model wiring harness, and cost like it too. Wires are smaller diameter but have greater conductivity (they claim) - very convenient for routing. All wires are longer than necessary; you will never have to extend wires on a Painless harness.

Be careful of the super inexpensive harnesses on Ebay; I've gotten them that have no secondary wiring, headlight connectors, etc.

The EZ Wiring kits are excellent and complete. Some of the wires may have to be extended depending on where you locate your fuse block. They're a good compromise. The Speedway kits are identical to EZ - probably are manufactured by them.

Re: AD wiring
 

I got my wiring harness cheep and as I was getting ready to start the install I found why.I wired a friends of mine truck last summer (a 67 Ford on 2006 crown vic frame) he bought the Ron Francis harness,it was nice.I figured since I did not have a lot of wires I did not need to spend that much on harness.The wires were plenty long.Well there were hardly any instrucions and just a couple drawings that grade school kids had drawn.I emailed amazon and they gave me the vendors email,so I mailed them,I told them the problem,they were no help.After going back and forth they refunded half the money.That still did not help me out,wires had labels where they went,but unlike the Ron Francis that were labeled every 4-6 inches these were labeled in just one place,and I had to search for it.I did end up getting the Ron Francis diapharm from my friend and am now able to figure it out.I will get it done for cheep but a harness from Ron Francis or painless,would have been a lot nicer and easyer

Re: AD wiring
 

I can only vouch for the one truck I've been building. I happen to be at the end of my wiring as of a few nights ago. I just got myself working lights! I originally wanted to use the existing harness from my 1988 S10, but trying to figure out what wires go where, what has a fuse, what don't I need, ugh. Crazy!

I have the JEGS 10405 universal 20 circuit harness. It has more than I need as it includes circuits for power doors and windows.

+ Each wire is labeled with the function of that wire. Printed all along the strand. Its my favorite thing about buying a wiring harness. No color codes needed, just read the wire :)

+ Each circuit has a fuse and it comes with the relays. All you have to do is run the wires.

+ Wires are grouped for their function. Engine group, tail group, instrument group, ignition group.

+ I am yet to find a function on my truck that doesn't have a wire. I did add an electric fan that contains an electric thermostat shut off. It came with its own four wires, but they were easy to figure out.

+ The manual spells out what each wire is for.

- The only wire too short was the passenger tail light. I had to add about 12". I probably could have wiggled things around to get the extra space, but I like my wires to have tidy routing along the frame, so I think I used a little extra for that.

- Sure, it would be great to have all the wiring connectors like a painless harness, but after wiring the whole truck, I realize I would have had to do my own anyway. For example, I bought new park and LED taillights that needed to have connectors installed. Easy when I had a box full of ones I bought and could choose what to use.

I actually ended up going with some generic waterproof connectors. They were super easy to crimp, work awesome, comes in 2, 3, 5 wire connectors.
https://www.amazon.com/MUYI-Waterpro...nector+3+prong
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon....L._SL1000_.jpg

So having just done this (and never having wired more than a light bulb before), I can't say enough for the amount of anguish I avoided for that $300. I would do it again in a heartbeat. To get the carbureted engine running, you'll need a few other wires of course.

1. Battery pos+ and neg- cables
2. Ignition module
3. Neutral safety switch wire from the trans to the starter
4. Ground wires for headlights, fuel pump, electric fan, tail lights
5. Make a few 4ft wires that have alligator clips on each end. I used them a ton just to test circuits before attaching connectors and making things perfect. Great for troubleshooting. Stick a light bulb between them as someone suggested to me to make a few attachable test lights.

I'm working on making my own harness diagram for my 3100 in visio. I'll post it up when I'm done.

Re: AD wiring
 

gigamanx
would you be willing to share the wiring diagram that came with your kit? I still have a couple unanswered question.

Re: AD wiring
 

Happy to share. Where are you stuck?

https://drive.google.com/file/d/15IY...ew?usp=sharing

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I'm not stuck yet and thanks for the diagram,but I'm sure I will run into problems

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Alright! Got a little extra cash and I was able to stay in my budget. Mostly.. I found a EZ 21 circuit mini kit for 160. Still waiting on it, but it looks very complete compared to the very cheap ones. Heard a bunch of good stuff on EZ so I hope it's all good.

One of you guys recommended I read a site and I found this. Using a ford solenoid relay..

http://www.how-to-build-hotrods.com/power-circuit.html


Could I use this?

http://www.madelectrical.com/catalog/st-1.shtml

Re: AD wiring
 

Matt 50, I just ordered an EZ 21 circuit wiring kit for $185. I’ve heard good reviews on their kits and are affordable. I won’t be wiring anytime soon but stacking parts for my build of a 54’ stepside.

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Yea, I read a bunch of reviews on EZ and decided to go for it. Good compromise for my budget. That and 160 included shipping so saved a few bucks. I'm still researching a little, and cleaning up the inside of the cab. When I get a few days of warmer weather I plan to get fuel tank mocked up and under dash ready for wiring.

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I do belive the harness I bought is the EZ kit also.It is Ok but,like is said wires are only marked in one spot,takes a lot of time to find that place,so I tagged the wires after I found where they go

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I agree with the others- you will be way ahead with the kit. On the solenoid just make sure the one you buy has a continuous duty rating and rated for the proper load (amps) Solenoids for starters are not always rated for continuous duty. And, yes the relays and solenoid help if you have a lot of high amperage items ( electric fans, water pumps, extra lights.) Not sure you need it with a basic system. It does add a little extra to the wiring diagram :). I am a fan of the book "how to wire your hot rod" from speedway motors -about 9 bucks but there may not be much more info than the jegs site had in it.

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Hey guys. I've got 2 cents to throw into the bucket. This is the kit I bought in 2010. I bought it because of the price and it looked complete enough to get me started and was what I could afford at the time.

Like a lot of you out there I had never wired up a complete system before. When I opened the box and saw all those wires I thought what have I gotten myself into this time.

Now about the kit. It was just like it stated. The wires were all long enough for the front and rear. They were labeled every 4 inches which made it easy to keep track of. They had the correct color GM code.

The instruction sheets that came with the kit were easy to follow and showed all the different systems like dash layout, charging system, ignition, plus wiring the column for all the lights and turn signals.

All in all it worked out for me. I would buy this kit again. Time wise the job took me about 2 weeks to do.

Good luck on your wiring.

Earl

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Im liking the feedback on the wiring, which should be here next week. What ignition switch and light switch do you guys recommend?

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Got my wiring in. Might be a few days until I do anything though. Between the weather and my teacher certification tests... my hands are tied.

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@Matt50....the kit looks nice how do you like the quality?

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Both my ignition and my light switch were generic/universal ones. Worked great. You have to make a small decision on if you want the original push button start as opposed to a more modern key turn start. Ignition module I grabbed from the auto parts store for the dash mount version. It has the turn to start and an Accessory option, light switch was at a car show with zero instructions. Looks just like this one...

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/u...CABEgIbHvD_BwE

Re: AD wiring
 

I have gotten a few things done inside the cab and am trying to plan a few things.

I'm having to order the paint color for the dash. It's a nice brown I've seen on the site here. The underside if dash is as cleaned out as I can get it, and I sprayed rust killer/primer for a nice clean look, and to get in the little areas I couldn't reach.

Looks like I can go universal on light switch and ignition right? Any tips I should know?

I've decided on the tan 5 inch quad dolphin gauges too. I was going to go with a more original look, but decided that if I'm gonna stare at them a whole lot, I want something a little more modernish to look at.

I don't think these come with built in lights for turn signals and headlights being on. Not sure I like that. Anyone recommend a good alternative but close to same price? Or good ideas to where to add the lights?

Lastly, photbucket has made to many pictures disappear. Search pulls up a lot of you have done diy wiper motor conversions. Anyone got a link to a thread that still has pics?

Re: AD wiring
 

I've got three!

1. The generic light switch may not have a low and high beam peg to attach a wire. I had to run a wire from low beam to the "dimmer" switch then ran the low wire off one peg of the dimmer and high beam off the other. The dimmer switch was also a generic one.

2. Figure out how to mount the fuse box before running any wires. Only after I had run half my wires did I realize my fuse box was upside down and I couldn't get the wires routed cleanly :)

3. Oh one more for good measure. Buy a couple of packs of those wire terminators to cap off any unused circuits. Twice now I've blown fuse because I left an unused circuit coiled up under the dash and it touched metal just right....bzzzzzt :uhmk:.

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Thanks. So look for a switch that specifically says low and high? Umm, may be a dumb question, but does my truck have both? I bought it with front partially disassembled but I didn't see and lights behind grille or anything.

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Here is one. I know there are more. I will keep looking. Clay

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...t=blazer+wiper

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Thanks Clay, good info but I can't see the pics. Do I need a photobucket account? Or did photbucket do something recently?

Re: AD wiring
 

Matt_50, I don't have a clue. I do not have photobucket. I also have bookmarked threads that I wanted to keep and I can't see the pictures anymore. This one I can see the pictures and that's why I sent it. I apologize for the screw up. Again, I don't have a clue. Clay

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Ah man, you can see them? Theres a bunch of threads I wished I could have seen the pics in. Maybe someone else will chime in on this. Thanks though dude, no need to apologize.

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Gigamanx, something like this? How do I know correct amperage?

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/prf-80153

Re: AD wiring
 

Exactly like that.

Amperage is maybe 25-30a. Ignition only sends a small amount back to the starter (or in my case the neutral safety switch). I don't know the details of how the starter knows to engage, but its definitely not the 500amps going through that key switch :lol: If I were to guess, I'd say its a solenoid in the starter that is engaging both the start gear and closing the circuit for power from the big positive battery cable you've attached to the starter peg.

Re: AD wiring
 

the ignition switch sends power to the solenoid on the starter which is like an electrically operated switch that engages the starter drive into the flywheel and also sends power to the starter motor simutaneously. if you have the old "step on the starter" pedal style of starter still bolted onto the engine then you have a mechanical linkage that did this when you stepped on the pedal and you will need to swap out to a different style that has the required solenoid. not sure but it may be just a solenoid swap on the existing starter. if you need to swap the starter then maybe look into a 12 volt conversion starter but research it first ecause there are also different flywheels for the 12 volt starters and they have different number of teeth and possibly a different size hole in the middle.
if you have a v8 swap then disregard all the starter talk, you already have the electric solenoid on the starter.
for amperage draw the solenoid on the starter will not draw more than the ign switch from summit but if you need to run other circuits for stuff that may draw more than the switch will handle you can simply use the switch to turn on a relay which is rated for that circuits draw. that is why you see a bank of relays under the hood of newer vehicles, so the dash switches can be smaller and radiate less heat under the plastic dash. the switch in the dash is just turning on a relay so a small signal wire is all that is required from the switch to the relay.